Using evidence synthesis to build
models of ecological systems

Eliza Grames

Qualifying Exam
Sept. 17, 2018

Overarching questions

  1. How can we develop better a priori models of ecological systems?
  2. How can we evaluate the importance of interacting mechanisms operating in systems with incomplete information?
  3. How can we use our knowledge of interacting mechanisms to generate better species distribution models?

Study system(s)

Ovenbird Black-backed Woodpecker

Chapter 1: Combining graph theory with systematic review to develop conceptual, process-based models of species occurrence

Chapter 2: Meta-analytic structural equation model of mechanisms underlying area sensitivity

Chapter 3: Bayesian path analysis of food availability and nest success in forest fragments

Chapter 4: Accounting for spatial error in SDMs with occupancy modeling and biotic interactions